Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and smartwatch hit China

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd officially introduced its latest flagship Galaxy Note 3 smartphone and the company's first Galaxy Gear smartwatch in China on Sept 25.

The China launch of the Galaxy Note 3 was simultaneous with the rest of the world. On Tuesday night, Samsung cooperated with China Mobile Ltd to unveil a tailored Galaxy Note 3 supporting the carrier's TD-SCDMA 3G mobile network.

The newly launched smartphone also supports the Chinese homegrown TD-LTE 4G standard, as China is expected to issue 4G licenses by the year-end and commercialized 4G services by telecom carriers are not far away.

People in China can purchase the Note 3 from both online and offline channels. The price of the China Mobile version of the Note 3 is 5,399 yuan ($882), while the price for a Note 3 handset running on China Telecom and China Unicom's networks is 5,799 yuan.

The Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which is compatible with the Note 3 and able to make calls and run simple applications, will cost an extra 2,399 yuan.

Compared with its predecessor, the Note 2, the Note 3 has a larger screen of 5.7 inches and is equipped with a faster processor.

Samsung remains China's biggest smartphone vendor by market share. Unlike Apple, who failed to reach a cooperation agreement with China Mobile, Samsung has formed a close relationship with the nation's biggest telecom operator.

Li Yue, general manager of China Mobile, said Samsung and China Mobile have a good history of cooperation. He said Samsung launched several dozens of smartphone models on China Mobile's 3G network and about half shipped more than 500,000 units.